Fellowship of Gamba
The Fellowship of Gamba (acronymed FoG) is a collective of adventurers that were originally brought together by Joltan. History Origins With Joltan growing increasingly more obsessed with the potential power of the Cruz Orbs, he decided to assemble a team to help him locate the objects. Fearful of failure, he carefully hand-picked adventurers from all over Ukun, hoping to form a group that would unitedly be prepared for any encounter. To ensure that the chosen individuals would agree to help him, Joltan made sure to promise each of them something valuable in exchange for their services. Following much contemplation, Joltan ultimately settled on four adventurers with a very diverse set of skills. These were Gamba Ravenborne, a Descendant of Bahamut, a skilled Sorcerer and a prophesied Stormborne; Klopsik Galanodel, a wise Elven Cleric renowned for his healing abilities; Skymtes Naïlo, a disavowed aristocrat acclaimed for his stealth skills; and Smock, a ruthless Orc and prominent combatant. The meeting in Umberwreck After the long-drawn selection process had concluded, Joltan sent out letters to the four adventurers with instructions to forthwith head to a tavern in Umberwreck. Once the whole group had amassed there, Joltan introduced himself and laid out the plans for a quest that he promised would yield great rewards for the entire party. He intentionally remained vague in attempt to conceal the expedition's true purpose. Although Joltan had avoided to elaborate on the exact specifics of the journey, he managed to convince the adventurers to accompany him. This event marked the beginning of the Fellowship of Gamba, albeit that name would not be used until much later. The search for Cruz Following a night's rest in the tavern, Joltan guided the group south, onto a path leading into a forest. The group marched on the road for over a day, prevailing encounters with a beaver-like beast and other dangers the woods had to offer. At the end of the path, the adventurers spotted a small hill ahead of them. As they began climbing it, some of the group members started to feel an eerie presence of magic. On the top of the hillside, they found themselves in front of a large hole with no visible bottom. Joltan appeared unsurprised of this and instructed the group to jump into the gap. Reluctantly, they all complied with his request, unknowingly entering the Cave of Cruz. Cave of Cruz After free-falling in the abyss for an undetermined period of time, the party heard a loud growl that appeared to originate from underneath them. They then collectively faded away into the surrounding darkness, losing all sense of time and space. A moment later, the group found themselves on a small beach. With no trace of Joltan, they were mildly bewildered by what had occured. At first glance, the beach appeared entirely surrounded by cliffs and a gloomy pond of water. After further investigation, however, the party discovered an entrance to a dark cavern. With nowhere else to go, the group decided to venture inside. Using their darkvision and Klopsik's illumination magic, they were able to navigate deep inside the cave, fighting off slimes and skeleton-like creatures along the way. Once they had cleared the path from all enemies in sight, they were able to reach an unusually large room. After yet another dangerous encounter with hostile forces, they entered the room, where they surprisingly reunited with Joltan, who had entered the cave through another passage. The large room did contain the treasures promised by Joltan, but they were all overshadowed by the glittering Cruz Orb in the center. The Orb, which was mounted on a pedestal, emitted an aura that drew the adventurers to it. Following a risky extraction of the artifact, the room began falling apart and the shallow water surrounding the party began to rise. With Joltan's secret passage collapsed, the group was forced to retreat using the same path they had originally come from. Retreating all the way back to the beach, the party once again found themselves in trouble. After numerous desperate attempts to escape, the group finally struck a deal with Oblivia, a monster that resided in the water. In return for their rescue, the adventurers promised to later return with a sacrifice for the behemoth. The regrouping After a narrow escape from the cave, the group uneventfully returned to Umberwreck to rest and plan their next journey. Once there, Joltan thanked them for their efforts and finally informed them that he was in fact after the Cruz Orbs, but did not speak of it further. He then offered them two new quests, letting the group pick where they wished to head to next. They ultimately settled for the swampland up north, as the Wizard had promised them it would be the easier adventure of the two. Fühl Leaving the forests surrounding Umberwreck, the party passed by Fühl, a smaller encampment and a training ground to many legionnaires. While there, they encountered a Paladin named Medrash that was an acquaintance of Grumble, Joltan's Goblin companion. Owing the Goblin a favor, Medrash agreed to join the Fellowship and accompany them on their journey. Merkwitz Arriving in the forested wetlands, the group ended up in Merkwitz, a poor settlement inhabited by Bullywugs. Joltan guided the Fellowship through the shanty town until they reached a noticeably more grandiose building: the residence of Jalileo I, the ruler of the township. Subsequent to some quick introductions, it was revealed that the monarch was an old friend of Joltan, and that he had promised to help the group locate the second Orb. Joltan's betrayal Ogen Spadogen The search for Uronin Centaurs and goblins Skymtes' and Ogen's demise